Univ. Prof. Dr. Harald Sitte

Medical University of Vienna

Researcher's Profile

Research interests: 

  • Analysis of the structure/function relationship
  • Trafficking behavior and clinical significance of neurotransmitter transporters
  • G-Protein coupled receptors and associated proteins
  • Psychopharmacology
  • Cocaine, Amphetamine and Congeners
  • Addiction

 

Career highlights:

Education
2001Venia docendi (Habilitation) for pharmacology and toxicology, University of Vienna
1998-2009Training as medical specialist in Pharmacology and Toxicology
1986-1995Medical studies, faculties of Univ. of Innsbruck and Vienna, Austria

 

 

Academic Positions
2010-Professor for Psychopharmacology, Medical University Vienna
2006-2011Director of the Curriculum of Dentistry at the Medical University Vienna
2002-2003Guest Scientist,The Panum Institute, Univ. of Copenhagen, Denmark; Molecular Neuropharmacology Group, Prof.Dr. Ulrik Gether
2001-2010Associate Professor, Center for Biomolecular Medicine and Pharmacology, Institute for Pharmacology, Medical University Vienna, Chair: Prof.Dr. M. Freissmuth
1998-2001Research Associate, Institute of Pharmacology, University of Vienna Medical Faculty

 

Further Professional Activities:

  • Since 2018 PI, doc.funds "Neuroscience" funded by the Austrian Science Foundation/FWF
  • Since 2016 PI, WWTF "Imaging the functional and molecular impact of Poly-unsaturated fatty acids on dopamine-dependent cognitive functions"
  • Since 2008 Speaker of the Special Research Programme SFB35, funded by the Austrian Science Foundation/FWF - Further information: sfb35.at
  • Director of the Curriculum of Dentistry at the Medical University Vienna (2006 - 2011)

 

Activities and Positions within the Scientific Community (Memberships):

  • Austrian and German Societies for Pharmacology and Toxicology
  • Austrian and American Societies for Neuroscience
  • American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology

 

Reviewer for the following Journals (selection):

  • J. Biol. Chem.
  • J. Neurosci.
  • J. Neurochem.
  • Mol. Biol. Cell.
  • Biological Psychiatry
  • Annals of Neurology
  • J. Fluorescence
  • Biophysical Journal

 

Editorial Boards:

  • Neurochemical Research

 

Organization of Congresses:

  • Member of the Local Organizing Committee for the Joint Meeting of the International and European Societies for Neurochemistry, Innsbruck, July, 2004
  • Organizer, Annual Symposia of SFB35, Vienna, 2008 - 2018

 

Ongoing MolTag research projects as supervisor:

  • Oliver John BELLEZA: Pharmacological characterization of fluorescent/optical probes for imaging neurotransmitter transporters
  • Nina KASTNER: Diffusion Barriers and spatiotemporal organization of the serotonin transporter in the plasma membrane in relation to its oligomeric state

 

Ongoing projects as co-supervisor:

  • Viktor SAVIC: Photochemically Susceptible PIP-Analogs for the Investigation of Peptide Assemblies
  • Florian VOGEL: GABAreceptors - functional and pharmacological studies

     

Completed projects as supervisor:

  • Thomas STEINKELLNER: Amphetamine action at dopamine and serotonin transporters is modulated by aCaMKII; finished 12/2013
  • Santosh K. VENKATESAN: LRET-based distance measurements in a bacterial homolog to mammalian glutamate transporter GltPh, finished 02/2016
  • Kusumika SAHA: LRET-based distance measurements in the mammalian glutamate transporter EAAC1; finished 02/2016
  • Felix MAYER: Characterization of mephedrone and its bioactive metabolites, finished 04/2017
  • Kumaresan JAYAMARAN: Oligomerization of human dopamine transporter (hDAT), finished 07/2018
  • Marco NIELLO: Pharmacological characterization and selectivity profile of different synthetic cathinones among monoamine transporters, finished 12/201
  • Ralph GRADISCH: The energy coupling in the human serotonin transporter; finished 10/2023

 

Completed projects as co-supervisor:

  • Katharina SCHLÖGL: Development of a Platform of Photoswitchable Monoamine Transporter Ligands; finished 09/2023
  • Jasmin MORANDELL: Illuminating the Role of Cul3 in Autism Spectrum Disorder Pathogenesis, finished 08/2020
  • Daniela CINTULOVA: Synthesis and biological profiling of bioactive molecules for the investigation of monoamine transporters, finished 12/2019
  • Konstantina BAMPALI: Structural basis of allosteric GABAA receptor modulation, finished 10/2019
  • Eva HELLSBERG: Computational studies of molecular interactions in the human dopamine and serotonin transporters, finished 09/2019
  • Dominik DREIER: Optically Switchable Serotonin Transporter Ligands, finished 08/2018
  • Andreas JURIK: Comparative Modeling Studies for Profiling of the GABA Transporter System, finished 05/2015
  • Amir SEDDIK: Substrate Selectivity Profiling of Monoamine transporters, finished 07/2015